New Delhi, April 11 -- The government has held high-level meetings with industry stakeholders amid concerns that the volatile geopolitical situation in West Asia could impact the availability and pricing of key petrochemical inputs used in packaging, especially affecting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). "The government of India has continued its proactive and coordinated response. by convening high-level stakeholder consultations to address logistics, packaging and shipping-related challenges impacting trade and exports," the commerce ministry said in a statement. Two meetings were held-one chaired by commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal and another co-chaired by shipping secretary Vijay Kumar and Agrawal. Senior officials, port authorities, shipping agencies, export promotion councils (EPCs) and industry representatives attended the meetings. The first meeting focused on disruptions in packaging materials and associated inputs. Officials said geopolitical developments could affect availability and prices of key inputs such as polymers and resins, increasing packaging costs across sectors. "Industry participants highlighted the rise in prices of critical inputs, placing stress on MSMEs," the ministry said. Stakeholders flagged that supply chain stress, logistics constraints and rising input costs could impact sectors such as apparel, leather, telecom, optical fibre and medical devices. They also sought support in ensuring availability of key inputs like liquefied natural gas (LNG), helium and petrochemical derivatives, along with early Goods and Services Tax (GST) refunds to ease liquidity. The second meeting focused on logistics and shipping issues. It was attended by the chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) Vivek Chaturvedi and other customs officials. Issues such as documentation processes, cargo movement, air freight costs, railway concessions and bunker fuel availability were discussed....